


A Tale of Two-Unexpected Beginnings

by Anjyil



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, Literature, Romance, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:58:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4935154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anjyil/pseuds/Anjyil





	A Tale of Two-Unexpected Beginnings

> _When I was little, all I had was my big brother. To me, he was the only one who cared. There was сястра (siastra) as well but...she had already made her choice about things so long ago. No. Just brother and I. He was all I ever had. He took care of me, protected me...loved me. I always wanted to do the same for him, but I couldn't._
> 
>  
> 
> _Other countries would hurt my brother. People like Prussia, Mongolia, and Sweden, they'd beat my brother up and laugh at him. They treated him like he was nothing...I had to watch him come home each day, bloody nose, black eye. He'd run to Yekaterina_  
>  _and she'd comfort him till she had to finish up her work. I remember sitting with my brother till he finally smiled and fixed my bow._
> 
>  
> 
> _"You're such a good girl,"  He told me. "But you'd rather play than sit here, da?"_
> 
>  
> 
> _I shook my head and clung to his arm._
> 
>  
> 
> _"Nyet..."_
> 
>  
> 
> _He leaned his head back and stared at the sky._
> 
>  
> 
> _"Thank you, сестра (sestra)."_
> 
>  
> 
> _He always liked having me around, seemed to find my presence comforting. That's all I felt capable of giving at that time. I guess that's still true for today as well. I always thought that being by his side would be enough, but as his sister, I learned that there were somethings I couldn't save him from: heartbreaks. I learned that well when Ivan was a teenager. He fell for...that man. China. Big brother was always off at the man's house or following him around. Whether the two really were together or if Ivan just crushed on the man, neither Kat nor I knew. In the end though, my brother was cast aside by that man. My brother was never the same after that._
> 
>  
> 
> _That was the day when I decided I had to more than a сестра to him. More than family. I just thought...if my brother loved me in a different way then he wouldn't love others like that. No one, not even China, could break my big brother's heart ever again. I knew what others would think of me, what they do think, because I've pursued my brother in such an...unorthodox manner, but I didn't care back then. To me, there were two kinds of people in this world: those who can be trusted with my brother and those who couldn't be. To me, no one could be trusted and honestly, I had felt no need to reconsider, no reason to let my walls down and accept others in. After all, if they can hurt my brother like they did, what would stop them from hurting me? All I needed was Ivan; that's what I always told myself._
> 
>  
> 
> _Lately though, it's finally hit me. I am alone. My brother isn't even by my side. Ivan is repulsed by me! How else could he be feeling? Always avoiding me, never wanting to spend time with me, even avoiding eye contact. I took it too far. I never meant for this to happen. It was just the more he tried getting close to others, the more scared I got and the more irrational my actions turned. And since I have pushed everyone else away and now my brother isn't by my side, I am alone. Very alone. And it's all my fault._
> 
>  
> 
> _But what could I have done differently? I only wanted--_

 

"Yo! Watcha doing on the floor--"

 

In an instant, the girl grabbed the person's shirt and forced him down to her level. Her knife was at his neck as she glared at the blonde.

 

"I'll give you five seconds to leave." She said in a low voice before letting go of him and wiping the tears from her face with her free hand.

 

"Easy!" Alfred threw his hands up. He was now on the floor next to her, eyes wide at the knife. "Dude, I was just wondering what's wrong..."

 

Natalya lowered her knife and and averted her eyes from the American.

 

"None of your business..." She mumbled. "Now leave."

 

Instead, the country scooted to her side and leaned against the wall, relaxing next to her.

 

"Didn't you hear me?" She stared at him, practically jumping away. "Leave. Now."

 

Al raised an eyebrow at her.

 

"But then you'd be alone," He said before grinning. "And the **hero** can't let that happen!"

 

Nat's glare dissipated before her gaze went to floor.

 

"Since when do you care?" She mumbled.

 

"It's my job to care, dude."

 

Silence.

 

The American smiled before standing up and reaching out a hand to her.

 

"Come on, I know just what we should do!"

 

Nat huffed.

 

"The meeting is still going on, you know."

 

"And that's why I'll just copy my bro's notes~."

 

The Belarusian rolled her eyes before taking his hand.

 

"Whatever..."

 

Once to her feet, the girl followed the blonde out the door.

 

The two walked down the path and passed the parking lot. Apparently wherever they were going was close enough to walk.

 

"Where are you taking me?" The girl had her arms crossed as they walked side by side on the sidewalk.

 

"Can't handle surprises, can you?" He teased.

 

Nat blush and elbowed him the ribs, catching the man off guard. It stung, but the American only laughed.

 

"Relax, dude." He grinned. "Do ya really have to know?"

 

"Do you really want to test me?" She asked, tempted to get her knife out to help her escape this weird man.

 

"Fiiiinnneee." He whined, but grinned nonetheless. "There's a cafe near by that I like going to. Thought it'd be nice to show ya is all."

 

"Whatever..." She mumbled.

 

A moment of silence passed before Alfred spoke again.

 

"Ya know," He began. "I will get you to smile by the end of this. I bet all the money I'm worth~."

 

"What, you mean the $18 trillion debt?" The corners of her mouth twitched at her comment, though she didn't smile.

 

"Ouch...well, don't say that in front of China; I still owe him money." The blonde frowned for a minute before perking back up. "You almost smiled though!"

 

Nat blinked in surprise, pink rushing back to her cheeks. She looked away.

 

"You're so strange--"

 

She stopped mid step and stared across the street at a park. Kids were laughing and running about, some arguing about who gets to go down the slide, others playing in the sandbox. They all seemed happy.

 

"Yo, Belarus?" The American waved a hand in front of her face. "You okay, dude?"

 

The girl snatched his hand and forced it back to his side. 

 

"I'm fine." She said curtly. "I just remembered I have an appointment later so I can't stay with you long."

 

"Oh, that's fine..." He mumbled, his cheeks tinting red. "Um...Belarus?"

 

"What?" 

 

"Can you...let go of my hand now?" He mumbled.

 

Her cheeks went bright red. She hadn't realized that she hadn't let go of it till now. Natalya dropped his hand like it was on fire and averted her gaze.

 

More silence. Finally, Alfred gave an awkward laugh.

 

"Well, let's keep going, dude!"

 

And with that, the two walked the rest of the way to cafe. Alfred ordered a black coffee and Natalya ordered a French vanilla cappuccino. They found a free booth by the windows to sit in.

 

"Soooo," The blonde dragged out the word. "Wanna talk about why you ran out of the meeting earlier?"

 

"Still none of your business." She insisted.

 

"Okay then." He shrugged. "Your brother looked kinda worried though."

 

The girl froze, eyes wide. The blonde noticed the expression and was quick to continue.

 

"I'm sure he's fine." He told her. "He'd probably appreciate an explanation later though."

 

Nat stared down at her cup.

 

"I really can't do anything right..." She murmured.

 

"Oh come on, I'm sure that's not true!" He assured. 

 

"All I've done is hurt him." She explained, hand tightening to a fist. "I try so hard to protective him and I can't do it."

 

"Well then...why don't you stop--"

 

"I'll never stop!" She banged her fist onto the table, causing the few other customers to stare. The two barely noticed though.

 

"Dude, just hear me out." He told her. "I just mean...look, Russia is a grown dude; he can take care of him. Plus, if trying to protect him only makes things worse and tires you out like it seems to, maybe you shouldn't do it."

 

"I love my brother though." She insisted. "I want to do what I can for him."

 

"I get it, trust me." The American told her. "I have a brother too, ya know."

 

She shook her head.  

 

"It's different though." She told him. "Ivan has always taken care of me. I...I want to do the same for him."

 

"If you say so." He shrugged. "All I'm saying is if your efforts aren't getting you anywhere, maybe you should take a break and think things over."

 

The Belarusian said nothing, only brought her gaze to the window. The worst part about this was that Alfred's words made some sense to her. Still, she felt like 'taking a break' from the plan she's had into place for so long would mean that she would be abandoning her big brother. That and she simply knew no other way to live other than revolving her life around Ivan.

 

The girl didn't know how long she had spent staring out the window, but when she finally brought her attention back to the American, she found him staring.

 

"What?"

 

"Oh...nothing..." He mumbled, breaking his gaze and having his eyes look anywhere but at her.

 

She sighed and shook her head at him. Such a strange boy.

 

Natalya took a sip of her drink before checking her phone. She launched out of her seat once she saw the time, almost spilling her cappuccino.

 

"You alright?" Alfred jumped up as well, worried about the girl.

 

"Fine." She said quickly. "I have to go...to my appointment."

 

"Umm...okay?" The guy only stared in confusion as she tossed her drink in the trashed and rushed out the door.

 

This got the blonde curious. What was so important for her to do that could get her so anxious? Only one way to find. Abandoning his coffee, Alfred left the cafe and followed after the girl, trying to keep a safe distance behind her, occasionally hiding behind a tree on the way, not because she kept looking back, but because if made him feel more like a spy. It didn't take long to get to her destination; in fact, they were here earlier: the park.

Darting behind the low brick wall, he leaned over enough to see Nat talking with a young woman, possibly twenty-five or so, then being dragged over to the seesaw by one of the many children playing there. Natalya seemed so at peace with the children, so much calmer that something in him didn't want to stop watching her. After a minute or two though, she walked out of his sight and the next thing he knows, he gets a hard smack on the head, causing the him to cry out a bit.

 

"Ouch!" He covered his head, protecting it from possible other hits.

 

Nat halted at the voice of a woman though.

 

"Natalya!" The woman from earlier scolded her as she approached them. "You're setting a bad example for the children!"

 

Some of the kids giggled, while others starred wide-eyed or in confusion. One of the girls even yelled for her to do it again, and though it was tempting, the Belarusian listened to the woman instead.

 

"Sorry, Stephanie..."

 

The woman crossed her arms, still giving Nat a stern look, before glancing at Alfred.

 

"Are you alright?"

 

Alfred chuckled and stood up, rubbing the back of his head.

 

"Yep, fine." He told her. "It's no big, really."

 

The woman, Stephanie, looked back to Nat.

 

"Is this your friend or do you always hit random men passing by?"

 

Natalya bit her lip, not sure what to say. Luckily, Alfred spoke for her.

 

"Name's Alfred Foster Jones, miss!" He grinned. "I'm a friend of Natalya's--"

 

"We are not friends." She interrupted, annoyed that he called her by her human name, despite that it's necessary to when around humans.

 

"We so are." He stuck his tongue out at her, causing the platinum blonde to roll her eyes. Stephanie stared at the two in confusion.

 

"So...are you here to help with the kids as well, Alfred?" The woman asked.

 

Simultaneously, Alfred answered yes while Nat gave a strong no. Nat gave him a glare as he answered once more.

 

"Of course, I love kids~."

 

Stephanie smiled.

 

"That's good; I can always use help." She told him. "It's not easy being a foster parents and since I take care of so many by myself, it's always good to find volunteers."

 

She turned to Nat.

 

"Please explain the basics to him for me--"

 

A scream echoed throughout the playground. The three looked over to find a a little boy screaming under one of the platforms at a little girl who took his flower. Stephanie raced off to handle the situation.

 

Nat sighed.

 

"Kelsey messed with Evan's flowers again..."  She said, looking worried. "I know she doesn't mean anything by it, but I wish she'd learn that they are off limits."

 

"Umm...what?" Alfred asked.

 

Nat huffed.

 

"Some of these kids have exceptionalities." She explained. "Like Evan. He has autism and likes organizing things. Whenever we're here at the park, he starts picking flowers and organizing them by color. Kelsey picks flowers with him, but sometimes tries to sneak one from him to put in her pile and it never ends up well."

 

"Oh..." He blinked in surprise. "And you help out everyday?" 

 

She rolled her eyes. 

 

"Of course not; I'm not in your country everyday." She explained. "But I've been visiting your country a lot more just to help out, yes."

 

The girl watched Stephanie take the flower from Kelsey and give it back to Evan. The boy's fit ceased and he laid in back in it's proper place. Nat gave a soft smile. Some of these kids could be difficult at times, but they were all sweet and Nat would be lying if she said she wasn't attached to them.

 

"Ahah!" Alfred grinned. "I _told_ you that you I would get to see you smile today!"

 

Nat blushed a bit at this, but glared as well at the American.

 

"S-So what?"

 

"You're just so cute when you smile is all."

 

"I-I am not cute!"

 

Alfred messed with her for a while longer before they had to get to work. One girl needed help with fixing her flower crown while another needed help down from a tree (which she wasn't allowed to climb in the first place and got a good scolding from Stephanie), and even broke up a fight between two boys. After the latter, Alfred realized that he had lost track of Natalya. He searched around the playground before seeing her sitting on one of the benches with a little girl, looking anywhere from 6-8 years old, laying her head on her lap. Nat stroked the girl's hair gently, trying to soothe her.

 

The American approached the two.

 

"Shh, it's okay." She said softly. "You're safe, Ellie; there's no reason to feel scared."

 

"Is she okay?" Al asked.

 

The little girl jumped a little at his voice and hid her face in Nat's torso.

 

Nat glared at the blonde.

 

"Am-Alfred, stop it." She berated. "Ellie is sensitive; you can't scare her like that."

 

Alfred blinked. Was this another exceptionalities kid or was this girl just shy? Not that it matter, but the guy was still worried about screwing up. Exceptionality or not, he didn't want to scare this poor girl. He knelt down next to them.

 

"Heyy," He lightly poked at the girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare ya. I'm Alfred."

 

The girl peeked out a bit, revealing a bit of her face.

 

"Ellie...I'm...Ellie."

 

Alfred grinned.

 

"Nice to meet you dude!"

 

Ellie looked up at Nat, as if asking if it's okay to talk to him.

 

"It's fine." She told the girl. "He may be an idiot, but he's a kind idiot."

 

Alfred stuck his tongue out at her for that comment, causing Ellie to giggle.

 

"Why don't you head to the sandbox?" The Belarusian asked the girl. "Alfred and I will be over to play with you in a second."

 

The girl bit her lip and glanced over at the sandbox. Nat stroked Ellie's hair more. "We can see you from here; if anything happens while we talk, we will be over in an instant."

 

Ellie nodded and slowly made her way over to the sandbox. Once far enough away, Nat spoke.

 

"Ellie has anxiety problems, especially when around people." She explained. "Before she came to Stephanie, she was kidnapped, ripped right from her mother's arms. She's been scared of people ever since."

 

"Whoa...did Steph tell you that?"

 

"No." Nat shook her head. "I saw for myself...I even tracked down the van they escaped in and tried saving her. I got captured by those people for a while too... The both of us were locked in some kind of basement for a day or two till I finally got us out."

 

Alfred stared in disbelief.

 

"Seriously?"

 

Natalya slapped his arm.

 

"Of course! Why would I make something like that up?!"

 

"Okay, okay, chill!" He threw his hands up in defeat for what seemed like the millionth time today.

 

The girl huff and scowled into the distance. 

 

"I don't care about what happens to me...but anyone who even tries to hurt a child like that...they're just monsters..."

 

Alfred watched her expression for a moment before sitting next to her and hugging her close. Nat's eyes widened.

 

"I'm glad you're both okay." He told her, face a little red. " I wish I could give that guy a piece of my mind though."

 

"It's...whatever." The girl lightly slipped out of his arms after a moment, but turned to him. "Just...thank you though. I mean, for helping out today with the kids and...well, me..."

 

Her face went red as well, but her attitude changed in an instant. She crossed her arms and looked away from the American.

 

"Just don't go expecting this to become a normal thing." Nat told him. "I have better things to do than sit at cafes with you."

 

Alfred grinned.

 

"Guess we'll have to find other things to do together~."

 

"T-That's not what I meant!"


End file.
